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Carmel, Pacific Grove, and/or Monterey

marie-louise

By marie-louise
in California: Dining

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samgiovese

samgiovese

Posted
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Grasings across the street from the fire house is quite good. We've eaten there twice in the lat 2 years and have been very pleased both times.

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

- Dr. Hannibal Lecter

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Flocko

Flocko

Posted
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Thanks samgiovese, milla, and lizard: Those are some great looking suggestions!!

It was interesting to note that Narsai David is connected with Grasings. I used to eat at his "Potluck" in Oakland in '69 and '70 and then at Narsai's in Berkeley (Kensington?) in the late '70s and early 80's. His lamb with pommegranite, onions, and red wine is one of my favorites.

Thanks again, all!

Bill

Bill Benge

Moab, Utah

"I like eggs", Leon Spinks

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Joe Blowe

Joe Blowe

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I'm still recommending Stokes and Passionfish since posting in this thread... http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=35755

Lots of other good recs in there, too.

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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Flocko

Flocko

Posted
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Another vote for Bouchee in Carmel.  Pacific's Edge is also very good at the Highland's Inn.  Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn is amazing with beautiful views from the dining room.  Cheers!  :)

Thanks syrah girl...........I hadn't considered the Post Ranch. We're going down to Big Sur one day and plan to stop at Nepenthe (for old time's sake :cool:) .....................maybe dinner at Sierra Mar? I'll look into it.

Bill Benge

Moab, Utah

"I like eggs", Leon Spinks

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irodguy

irodguy

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Another vote for Bouchee in Carmel.  Pacific's Edge is also very good at the Highland's Inn.  Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn is amazing with beautiful views from the dining room.  Cheers!  :)

Thanks syrah girl...........I hadn't considered the Post Ranch. We're going down to Big Sur one day and plan to stop at Nepenthe (for old time's sake :cool:) .....................maybe dinner at Sierra Mar? I'll look into it.

Yep I would also suggest a stop at Nepenthe. There is better food but not better views.

Never trust a skinny chef

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irodguy

irodguy

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I would highly suggest the Gem in Carmel it's the "locals secret" I used to book reservations there every year for Concorso/Pebble weekend.

It's very resonable and great food. Yes there cassoulet is great as is everything else.

Never trust a skinny chef

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Flocko

Flocko

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I would highly suggest the Gem  in Carmel  it's the "locals secret"  I used to book reservations there every year for Concorso/Pebble weekend. 

It's very resonable and great food.  Yes there cassoulet is great as is everything else.

Thanks irodguy. The Gem looks like a "gem". I'll check it out.

Bill Benge

Moab, Utah

"I like eggs", Leon Spinks

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samgiovese

samgiovese

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We've eaten at Marinus several times, and never been disappointed. Cal Stamenov does a fantastic job in the kitchen, their wine list is outstanding, service is gracious and understated, and the room and setting are beautiful. We spent our last wedding anniversary at Bernardus, and Marinus was our special anniversary dinner. From what I've heard, the only thing in the Carmel area in the same league is David Fink's L'Auberge Carmel. We've had Manske's food at Bouchee, but have yet to try the dining room at L'Auberge. Cal is also Executive Chef at The Covey at Quail Lodge...has anyone been there, and if so, how does it compare to Marinus?

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

- Dr. Hannibal Lecter

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  • 1 month later...
Flocko

Flocko

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Hi All:

Just back from Carmel/Monterey......................ah, so many great restaurants from which to choose and so little time :sad: ...............but we did very well.

Stokes was great for dinner. L'Auberge was fantastic!! :biggrin: ...........now one of my top ten of all time..................same with Pacific's Edge at the Highland's Inn (both were tasting menus). Kurt Grassing's Chop House was very good as well.................had to go there to have Narsai David's Assyrian Lamb Chops...........ummmmm!!! Also they had some old gems from Narsai's famous wine cellar.............'70s and early '80s Martinis, Heitz, BV, etc at very reasonable prices. We had some good small plates at Big Sur Bakery and a great late lunch at Nepenthe. I've always had the ambrosia burger there, but this time had fried sweet potato puffs and a red and yellow beet salad with chevre. Very tasty and THE VIEW was of course spectacular.

A lunch at the wharf one day was at Abolonetti's........very good fried calamari steaks.

Stopped in San Francisco on the way for a requisite lunch at Tadich Grill before heading down the coast..............great petrale sole as usual. We also made a stop at the Ferry Building and got some cheese, fruit, and chocolate :rolleyes:

All in all a great trip. Thanks to all for your recommendations!!

Bill

Bill Benge

Moab, Utah

"I like eggs", Leon Spinks

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  • 2 weeks later...
hitmanoo

hitmanoo

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Thank you for the restaurant help. We decided to try out Passionfish in Pacific Grove due to your recommendations. The food was delicious, creative, and well presented. The prices on the wine were unbelievably low. In fact the meal in general was both delicious and affordable. I was also impressed by the combination of facts that they are practicing in an environmentaly responsible and friendly manner, selling wine at a minimal markup, all while serving incredibly delicious food at prices below market.

The restaurant had a packed crowd on a Monday night, and it's not tough to see why. You can get a delicious meal with fine wine, at a great price. Two of us had a meal that included 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine, and a shared dessert. Take out the wine, and it'd cost somewhere b/w $50-$60 before tax and tip.

I'd be remiss if I didn't elaborate on the dessert. We had a molten chocolate tort which was just delicious. I'd have loved to try a bite of all of the different dessert options, but we decided on one. Believe me, dessert is not to be missed here!

Blessed are those who engage in lively conversation with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called, "Dentists." (anonymous)

Life is too short for bad Caesar Salad. (Me)

Why would you poison yourself by eating a non-organic apple? (HL)

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  • 2 years later...
jsmcmillan

jsmcmillan

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Looking for reccomandations for the Carmel area for lunch, dinner, and drinks. We'll have our dog's with us, so we are a little limited, however I understand there are quite a few restaurants that allow animals on the patios - any experience with any of them?

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syrah girl

syrah girl

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Casanova is very nice as previously stated, we like to dine out on their back patio. I know PortaBella in downtown Carmel allows dogs, they have really good food, there is an outdoor patio there in the back for your pet.

Forge in the Forest is another pet-friendly place, we have only had lunch here, it was nice. You may want to see if the Mission Ranch allows pets, they have a very spacious outdoor area there overlooking the pastures and ocean, we enjoyed the Sunday Jazz Brunch here. Have fun! :)

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Joe Blowe

Joe Blowe

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Still might be some good recs in this thread...

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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  • 8 months later...
syrah girl

syrah girl

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We enjoyed a very nice time over on the CA coast this past Fri. and Sat. in the Carmel/Monterey area. Our first stop was the Giant Artichoke in Castroville, CA for some Fried Artichokes which are heaven on earth! We always get several to take to the kids back home when we visit this area. For our first lunch we chose Grasing's in downtown Carmel, this was our first visit to Grasing's, a true "gem" in the Carmel area.

The dining room is very nicely appointed with white linen tablecloths and elegant table settings, fresh yellow Tiger Lilies appoint the tables here. I chose a glass of a local Chardonnay which was wonderful, very buttery and creamy. We shared the Butter Lettuces salad which was very good and my entree was the appetizer portion of the Crab Cakes which were served with a good Aioli dipping sauce and a small cucumber salad in the middle of the plate, our service was very attentive and this was a great experience and a nice way to start our adventure on the CA coast.

After walking around town and exploring the beach and Tor House in Carmel, we headed over to the Carmel Highland's area to the Tickle Pink Inn where we were spending the night for my birthday. They have an excellent wine and cheese reception here in their oceanview Terrace Lounge, then it was off to the Pacific's Edge at the HIghland's Inn next door for dinner. We were seated at a very pretty table with amazing views of the ocean, we have dined here several times before. The menus have changed a bit and they no longer offer the 3,4, 5 Course dinners. We split the Brussell Sprout Salad which was really good and I had the small portion of the Lobster with Risotto which was excellent. We passed on wine, for dessert they brought out a candle with the dessert which was wonderful, I chose the Raspberry Torte and my husband had the chocolate peanut butter dessert.

Our service was perfect at the Pacific's Edge and we were able to catch the sunset from our table which was fabulous. This is a very nice dining venue in the area, after dinner we relaxed in the Lounge at the Highland's where there were very talented musicians playing the piano and bongo drums. Then it was off to our Inn to soak in the terraced Hot Tub there.

The next morning after a very good breakfast at the TPI we headed over to Monterey to meet a few of the kids for lunch before kayaking in Monterey Bay. We chose Schooner's Bistro which was very good with pretty views of the ocean. The fish and chips were good, as always and service was attentive, Monterey is very busy this time of year on Sat. with weddings and proms. After kayaking the entire afternoon which was great fun, we headed over to the Sardine Factory on Cannery Row for dinner.

We were seated in the Conservatory Room which is gorgeus with glass walls, domed ceilings and lots of greenery. I started with the Abalone Bisque and the Sand Dabs with Sauteed Spinach and Risotto was my entree. This room was full with prom couples and large groups but still a very pleasant experience here. For dessert we shared the Cheesecake which was creamy and rich. The Sardine Factory is a very nice place to celebrate a special occasion, we have also dined in the Captain's Room for an anniversary dinner which is a bit more formal.

It was a very nice 2 days eating our way around the coast and such a beautiful time of year to be in this area. :)

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  • 5 months later...
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